(Reuters) — The U.S. Supreme Court docket on Monday refused a request by the Trump administration and the telecommunications trade to wipe away a decrease court docket resolution that had upheld Obama-era internet neutrality guidelines aimed toward making certain a free and open web, although the justices’ motion doesn’t undo the 2017 repeal of the coverage.

The excessive court docket resolution to not throw out the 2016 U.S. Court docket of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruling leaves a authorized precedent in place that might assist internet neutrality supporters in any future authorized battle if that coverage is ever re-introduced.

The principles championed by Democratic former President Barack Obama, supposed to safeguard equal entry to content material on the web, have been opposed by President Donald Trump, a Republican.

The Trump administration and the telecom trade had wished to erase the 2016 ruling although the Republican-led Federal Communications Fee in December voted to repeal the online neutrality guidelines. The coverage reversal went into impact in June.

The Supreme Court docket’s transient order famous that three of the court docket’s conservative justices – Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch – would have thrown out the appeals court docket resolution. Neither Chief Justice John Roberts nor new Trump appointee Brett Kavanaugh participated within the resolution.

Business commerce group USTelecom, one of many teams that challenged the 2015 internet neutrality guidelines, mentioned the excessive court docket’s motion was “not shocking.” USTelecom mentioned it might “proceed to assist” the repeal “from challenges in Washington, D.C. and state capitals.”

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat who backed the online neutrality order in 2015, mentioned on Twitter that the fee had “really petitioned the Supreme Court docket to erase historical past and wipe out an earlier court docket resolution upholding open web insurance policies. However in the present day the Supreme Court docket refused to take action.”

The Justice Division additionally has filed swimsuit to dam California’s state internet neutrality legislation from taking impact in January. The state agreed in October to delay enforcement of the legislation pending appeals of the online neutrality reversal.

The FCC voted 3-2 in December alongside celebration traces to reverse the foundations adopted beneath Obama that had barred web service suppliers from blocking or throttling visitors, or providing paid quick lanes, also called paid prioritization.

The brand new guidelines, which gave web service suppliers larger energy to manage the content material that prospects entry, at the moment are the topic of a separate authorized struggle after being challenged by most of the teams that backed internet neutrality.

The online neutrality repeal was a win for suppliers like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon Communications. It was opposed by web corporations like Fb, Amazon.com and Alphabet, which have mentioned the repeal might result in larger prices.